On the list of things I enjoy, flying on a commercial airline ranks somewhere between visiting the dentist and scrubbing the toilet. Which is to say I don’t enjoy it very much.
Never mind my mild fear that the plane won’t return to the ground in one piece. Let’s talk about flying: There’s the cramped quarters, the screaming baby (I’m pretty sure it’s mandated by law that there must be one on every plane), the hefty guy sitting next to you who oozes into your seat, the line to get through security, the fact that I always get sleepy during the trip but can never fall asleep — yeah, I could go on. I hate flying.
But if there’s one consolation for all of these things — one reason to appreciate the friendly skies — it’s this: I know nobody will be yakking on their cell phone. Current federal regulations prohibit travelers in America from placing cell phone calls while in flight.
Some people groan when the announcement comes that all passengers must turn off and stow all electronic devices. That announcement is music to my ears. It means there will be no more cell phone conversations, at least until we arrive at our destination. Ahh — peace and quiet. (Except, of course, for the screaming baby two rows down.)
It figures that someone would want to spoil the one good thing left about flying.
Proving that there’s a lobby for everything, there is such a thing as the Inflight Passenger Communications Coalition (IPCC), which would like the right to talk on cell phones in the air.
Separate bills are pending in the U.S. House and Senate to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration. The House version would continue the ban on cell phone use and extend it to Voice over Internet Protocol technology, while the Senate’s version lacks such a ban.
The IPCC prefers the Senate’s version, of course, and argues there’s nothing wrong with phones in flight. “Airlines and providers of in-flight communication services have taken practical and effective measures to ensure that enabling passengers to stay connected while in flight does not prove irritating to fellow passengers,” a statement on the IPCC Web site reads.
Really? I’d like to see how that works. Short of installing soundproof phone booths on every plane, I can’t imagine how you can guarantee me that I wouldn’t be annoyed.
Carl Biersack, head of the IPCC, told USA Today concerns about poor in-flight phone etiquette are overblown. In other countries, where it’s allowed, “We’ve not had one instance reported of air rage when one person was using a phone in flight and the person next to them got upset about it.”
Maybe so, but just because there is no evidence of air rage doesn’t mean people aren’t disturbed.
Others argue that in this day and age, business people can’t afford to be out of touch for any period of time. “Hours and even seconds count,” said Karen Kerrigan, president and chief executive officer of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. “By denying the ability to stay connected while on flights, while our international counterparts are able to do so, could create a significant disadvantage for U.S. business travelers.”
If that’s true, then why, in a survey of 3,000 frequent fliers by the International Airline Passengers Association, did 88 percent say that allowing cell phone use on planes would be “a source of great irritation”? I assume most frequent fliers are business people. In addition, even the National Business Travel Association supports legislation banning cell phone calls in flight.
One advocate of permanently banning phone calls in flight is Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. Last year, he introduced legislation — which has since been incorporated into the House’s version of the FAA reauthorization bill — called the Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace Act. Yes, the HANG UP Act. (I wonder how long it took to come up with that acronym. Ladies and gentlemen, your tax dollars at work. But I digress.)
I admit there’s irony in the fact that we’re allowed to chat on our cell phones while driving, but not while we’re passengers on an airplane. Still, the ban on cell phone use in the sky should remain. And don’t get me started on the driving thing.
Dave Perozek is an editorial writer for the Benton County Daily Record.